Transmitting an Assignment through Wireless Transmission

ABSTRACT

A customer automatically receiving an assignment on his wireless device without the need to visit a reservation desk is provided. When the customer initially makes a reservation with a vendor, a computer records the wireless device&#39;s identification. When the customer arrives at or near the vendor&#39;s location, the system creates an out-of-range condition for the wireless device by shielding a portion of a location that the customer will be passing through. In response, the wireless device re-scans the control channels in an attempt to establish better communications with a wireless communication tower. A transceiver positioned in the transition zone transmits a channel that is detected and locked-on by the wireless device. The wireless device transmits its identification to the transceiver, which in turn forwards it to the computer. The computer sends assignment information to the wireless device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Co-pending patent application “METHOD, APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM FORAUTOMATED PROPERTY ADJUSTMENT IN A CELLULAR NETWORK” (Ser. No.10/322,057, Attorney Docket No. AUS920020491US1, filed Dec. 17, 2002),having the same assignee as the present application, is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to wireless devices in a calling networkand, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmittingassignments using wireless devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Receiving an assignment for a hotel room, rental car, concert seat,airline seat, and so forth can be a difficult if not tedious process.Conventionally, vendors such as hotels, rental car agencies, and someairlines do not make firm assignments until the customer actuallyarrives because supply and demand for the object (e.g., hotel room,rental car, seat, table, etc) on any particular day can fluctuate.Therefore, a reservation generally guarantees an assignment, but doesnot guarantee an exact assignment until the customer actually arrives.Often customers must wait in long lines at reservation desks or ticketbooths to receive their assignments, even though they already made areservation. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide anassignment system and method whereby a customer would receive a firmassignment upon arrival, but would not have to endure waiting at areservation desk or ticket booth. This system would advantageouslyreduce or eliminate the number of personnel manning such desks andbooths.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a preferred embodiment provides a method, system, andprogram product whereby a customer automatically receives an assignmenton his wireless device upon arrival without the need to visit areservation desk or ticket booth. When the customer initially makes areservation with a vendor, a vendor computer records the reservationdetails and the customer's wireless device identification (e.g. phonenumber). On the day of the reservation, when the customer arrives at ornear the vendor's location, the customer will pass through a transitionzone that creates an out-of-range condition on the wireless device. Thetransition zone is a shielded portion of a location, such as an entrywayor exit of a building, parking lot, airport, elevator, etc. Theshielding reduces the signal strength between an activated (i.e., turnedon) wireless device and its respective wireless communication tower.Alternatively, the transition zone may include a short-range signaljammer, or a combination of shielding and a short-range signal jammer.When the customer's activated wireless device enters the transitionzone, it re-scans the forward control channels in an attempt toestablish better communications with another wireless communicationtower. In the mean time, a transceiver positioned in the transition zonetransmits a channel that is detected and locked-on by the wirelessdevice. In response, the wireless device transmits identity informationto the transceiver, which in turn forwards it to the vendor computer(and, optionally, to a mobile telephone switching office). Using theidentity information, the vendor computer first verifies thereservation, makes an assignment, and then sends the assignment to thewireless device as a text or audio message. Once the wireless deviceleaves the transition zone, it will re-establish communications with thecommunication tower and be ready to receive the message. The assignmentinformation assigns a specific object to the customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood and its numerous objectsand advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art byreference to the following drawings, in conjunction with theaccompanying specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustrative wireless cellular telecommunications network;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of an assignment system in awireless cellular telecommunications network;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a wireless telephone device that may be usedin a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram of a signal jammer that may be usedin a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an assignment systemin accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of a transceiver in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of a wireless device inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting a computer system in which thepresent method and system may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is intended to provide some background information onconventional cellular technology because the preferred embodiment ispreferably practiced within a cellular telecommunication network.Illustrative cellular telecommunication layout 151 shows multiple cells152 and base stations 153 that a mobile telephone customer may encounterwhile traveling to his destination, hotel 154. As shown, an area isbroken up into multiple cells 152. Each cell typically ranges indiameter from 2 to 10 miles, and has a base station 153 that includesone or more antenna towers and a radio transceiver (not shown). Becausemobile telephones and base stations use low-power transmitters, the samefrequencies can be reused in non-adjacent cells. Each carrier in eachcity or region also operates one central office called the MobileTelephone Switching Office (MTSO) 160. This office handles all of thephone connections to the normal land-based phone system (local office162) and controls all of the base stations in the region. For example,MTSO 160 gathers traffic from dozens of cells 152 and passes it on tolocal office 162. MTSO 160 also places calls from land based telephonesto wireless customers, switches calls between cells 152 as mobilestravel across cell boundaries, and authenticates wireless customersbefore they make calls. For more information on conventional cellularlayout and technology, see Cellular Telephone Basics: AMPS and Beyond,by Tom Farley with Mark van der Hoek, which is incorporated by referenceherein.

Mobile phones and base stations 153 transmit or communicate with eachother on dedicated paired frequencies called channels, which aretypically in the 800 MHz range and assigned by MTSO 160. Each call usestwo channels, one for voice and one for control. There are fourfrequency paths: “forward control path” means base station to mobile forcontrol, “reverse control path” means mobile to base station forcontrol, “forward voice path” means base station to mobile for voice,and “reverse voice path” means mobile to base station for voice. Basestations 153 constantly transmit identifying information or overhead onits respective forward control path. When a user initially turns on hismobile phone, the phone attempts to register with one of the basestations 153 by scanning through detected forward control paths until itfinds one having the strongest signal. If the mobile phone does notdetect a control channel, it determines that it is out of range anddisplays a “no service” message. If it detects one or more controlchannels, the mobile phone re-scans and camps on to the strongest one,and generally re-scans every seven seconds when idle or when signalstrength drops below a pre-determined level. Once camped on, the mobilephone listens for a System Identification Code (SID) on the forwardcontrol path and compares it to the SID programmed into the phone. A SIDis a unique 5-digit number that is assigned to each carrier by the FCC.If the SIDs match, the mobile phone determines that the base stationthat it is in communication with is part of its home system. However, ifthe SIDS do not match, then the mobile phone is roaming. Next, themobile phone identifies itself on the reverse control path by sendingits phone number, electronic serial number, and SID to the base station153. The electronic serial number may be a 32 bit code that is unique toeach mobile device and not alterable by either the end user or thecellular operator. The local base station 153 relays this information toMTSO 160 for verification and monitoring incoming calls. However, if themobile phone is roaming, the MTSO of the cell that the customer isroaming in contacts the MTSO of the customer's home system, which thenchecks its database to confirm that the SID of the phone being used isvalid. The home system verifies the customer's mobile phone to the localMTSO, which then tracks the mobile phone as it moves through its cells.

As described above, MTSO 160 tracks the mobile phone's location in adatabase (not shown) so that it knows which cell the customer is in whenit needs to ring the mobile phone. If MTSO 160 receives a call for thecustomer, it tries to find the customer by looking in its database tosee which cell the customer is in. MTSO 160 selects a frequency pairthat the customer's phone will use in that cell to take the call. MTSO160 then communicates with the mobile phone over the forward controlchannel to tell it which frequencies to use, and once the customer'smobile phone and tower 153 switch on those frequencies, the call isconnected. As the customer moves toward the edge of a cell, the cell'sbase station 153 notes that the customer's signal strength isdiminishing. Meanwhile, base station 153 in the cell the customer ismoving toward (which is listening and measuring signal strength on allfrequencies, not just its own) sees the customer's mobile phone's signalstrength increasing. The two base stations 153 coordinate with eachother through MTSO 160 and, at some point, the mobile phone receives asignal on a control channel telling it to change frequencies. This handoff switches the customer's mobile phone to the new cell.

FIG. 2 depicts a pictorial representation of assignment system 200 in awireless cellular telecommunications network of devices in which theillustrative embodiment may be practiced. However, one skilled in theart will readily recognize that other wireless configurations may beimplemented without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. System 200 includes telephone network 210 and communicationsnetwork 220 for providing communication links between various devicesand computers connected in system 200. Both may include variousconnection types such as, for example, wire, wireless communicationlinks or fiber optic cable. System 200 further includes: one or morewireless telephonic devices 212 or 214 (also referred to as “mobiles”,“mobile phones”, and “wireless devices”), each having a basic displayand user input (e.g., standard telephone buttons); at least one cellularbase station communications tower 216 (a “base station” includes a towerand a transceiver located at the center of a cell whose primary purposeis to handle all incoming and outgoing calls within the cell); at leastone mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 218, where MTSOscommunicate with base station communication tower 216 (usedinterchangeably with tower 216) in a city or region for a particularcarrier and further control connections to a conventional land-basedpublic switched telephone network (PSTN) 226 via telephone network 210;at least one conventional vendor computer 222 having a processor,memory, and database storage (see FIG. 8); and transition zone 204having outer shielding 208 and a conventional transceiver 206. Ashort-range signal jammer 202 may optionally be used. In the depictedexample, telephone network 210 connects MTSO 218 with tower 216, whichin turn communicates with various wireless communication devices, suchas mobile phones 212 and 214.

Additionally, system 200 may include other servers, clients, and devicesnot shown. For example, customer computers may directly communicate withvendor computer 222. In the depicted example, system 200 may beimplemented within the Internet with communications network 220representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that usethe Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite ofprotocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internetis a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodesor host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government,educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Ofcourse, system 200 may also be implemented using a number of differenttypes of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local areanetwork, or a wide area network. FIG. 2 is intended as an example, andnot as an architectural limitation for the present invention.

When a customer initially makes a reservation using, for example, awireless device 214, or on-line through his computer (not shown) tovendor computer 222, vendor computer 222 receives and records customerinformation in its database storage (shown in FIG. 8). Customerinformation may include, for example, the customer's arrival date,details of the future reservation (e.g., king or queen size bed; economysize car), customer name, and the wireless device's identification(e.g., telephone number) on which the customer would like to receive theassignment (in this example, wireless device 212). Later, on the arrivaldate, when the customer arrives at or near the vendor's location toaccept his reservation, the customer (and his activated wireless device212) pass through transition zone 204, which may be located in, forexample, an entryway or exit of a building, airport, parking lot,elevator, or sporting event. Transition zone 204, as described inco-pending patent application “METHOD, APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM FORAUTOMATED PROPERTY ADJUSTMENT IN A CELLULAR NETWORK, includes anysuitable signal weakening mechanism that impedes, attenuates, or blocksthe signal strength between mobile phone 212 and tower 216 to the extentthat mobile phone 212 initiates a re-scan as described above. Suchweakening mechanism could include external signal shielding 208,short-range signal jammer 202, or a combination of both. Alternatively,one skilled in the art will recognize that other conventional signalweakening mechanisms may be used without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention.

When activated wireless device 212 enters transition zone 204, shielding208 and/or jammer 202 block or weaken the strength of signal 224. If thesystem uses a short-range signal jammer 202, it will jam all channelsexcept those generated and received by transceiver 206. As the customermoves through transition zone 204, signal 224 weakens to the point thatwireless device 212 initiates a re-scan to find a channel with astronger signal. However, if the customer is having a conversation,signal 224 may be sufficient to maintain the conversation (or anydisruption may go unnoticed by the user). Once wireless device 212initiates a re-scan, it will lock onto a control channel having thestrongest signal, which, in this case, will be a forward control pathhaving a ghost SID transmitted by transceiver 206. Transceiver 206,positioned within transition zone 204, may a conventionaltransmit/receive device well known in the art. Wireless device 212 nowbelieves that it is communicating with another base station (which it isnot). After comparing transceiver 206's ghost SID with its own todetermine if its roaming, wireless device 212 then transmits itsidentity information to transceiver 206 on the reverse control path,believing that it is registering with a base station. As describedabove, identity information may include the wireless device's telephonenumber, electronic serial number, and SID. Next, transceiver 206forwards the identity information to vendor computer 222 (and,optionally, to MTSO 218) via communications network 220. In response,vendor computer 222 compares the telephone number and/or electronicserial number to its reservation database. If a match occurs, vendorcomputer 222 has verified identity, and now proceeds to retrieve andverify the reservation by comparing the arrival date in the reservationwith the current date and, if a match occurs, vendor computer 222assigns an object (e.g., room, car, seat, etc) to the customer accordingto the specifics in the reservation. Vendor computer 222 then forwardsthe assignment to wireless device 212 by dialing mobile device 212'stelephone number. All this can occur within seconds. Once mobile device212 exits transition zone 204, the channel between mobile device 212 andtransceiver 204 will be blocked/attenuated by shielding 208 such thatmobile device 212 will initiate another re-scan. Mobile device 212should re-establish full communication with tower 216, whereupon it willbe ready to display the assignment sent by vendor computer 222. Vendorcomputer 222 may send, for example, a text or audio message to wirelessdevice 212 that includes a specific assignment of the object (e.g., Room289) and, where appropriate, a key to the object, such as a code to acipher lock. U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,161, assigned to IBM Corporation,describes a method for using a portable device as a key and isincorporated by reference herein.

As previously described, transceiver 206 communicates with vendorcomputer 222 via communications network 220. Alternatively, transceiver206 may communicate by other means, such as through a dial-upconnection. Moreover, transceiver 206 may communicate the identityinformation with a plurality of computers and MTSOs for differentwireless communications companies, or it may send identity informationto a central third-party service (not shown) for handling communicationto the vendor.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a wireless telephonic device that may be usedin a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A showswireless telephone device 300, which includes speaker 302, microphone304, display 306, and keypad 316. Wireless telephone device 300 alsoincludes antenna 320 for communication with the nearest base station.Wireless telephone 300 may include other features common to mobiletelephones, such as function buttons, cursor control buttons, scrollwheels, and caller ID. Moreover, wireless telephonic devices may includeany device that can be dialed by the cellular telecommunicationsnetwork, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). FIG. 3B depicts ablock diagram of a hardware configuration of a wireless telephone devicein accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.Telephone device 350 includes processor 352 for controlling operation ofthe telephone device and memory 354. Processor 352 is a general-purposemicroprocessor operating under the control of instructions stored in amemory, such as a memory 354. Processor 352 connects to transmitter 358,receiver 360, keypad 364, display 366, and audio processor 368 viasystem bus 356. Keypad 364 may be keypad 318 in FIG. 3A. Display 366 maybe display 306 in FIG. 3A. Display 366 may be a liquid crystal displayor other known display, such as an active matrix display. Transmitter358 and receiver 360 couple to a telephone signal by coupler 374 toprovide full duplex communication. An antenna provides the telephonesignal, such as antenna 320 in FIG. 3A, in a wireless telephone. Audioprocessing circuit 368 provides basic analog audio outputs to speaker370 and accepts analog audio inputs from microphone 372. Receiver 360demodulates and decodes received signals. Transmitter 358 codes andmodulates signals passed to it by processor 352 or audio processor 368.Power amplifier 362 amplifies the output of the transmitter to controlthe power level at which the signal is transmitted. Processor 352 isprogrammed to re-scan when a signal from a communications tower or basestation is lost or weakened.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram of a conventional signal jammer400, which includes controller 402, communications adapter 404, antennaadapter 406, and signal jamming module 408. Elements 402-408 may beimplemented as hardware, software, or a combination of both. Elements402-408 couple to one another via the control/data signal bus 420.Controller 402 controls the overall operation of the signal jammer andthe operation of the other elements 404-408. Signal jamming module 408instructs controller 402 to transmit a signal via antenna adapter 406 todisrupt or jam communications between wireless devices and theirrespective cellular communications towers and base stations except thosechannels transmitted and received by transceiver 206. Controller 402 mayalso operate under the control of another device by receivinginstructions or messages through communications adapter 404, which maybe, for example, a network adapter, a modem, a serial port, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation of system 200. Referencing bothFIGS. 2 and 5, processing starts at 502 where the customer makes areservation and identifies his wireless device with a vendor. At 504,the customer and his wireless device enter transition zone 204. At 506,the wireless device attempts to re-scan for a new channel because of theattenuation from the shielding 208. The wireless device will lock ontothe channel transmitted by transceiver 206. At 508, the wireless devicesends its identity information to transceiver 206 (steps 506 and 508 aredescribed in more detail in FIGS. 6 and 7). At 510, transceiver 206sends the identity information (phone number, electronic serial number,and the carrier's SID) to vendor computer 222 via network 220. Inresponse, at 512, vendor computer 222 attempts to verify the customer'sidentity and reservation by first comparing the received identityinformation (e.g., telephone number) with its reservation database. If amatch occurs, vendor computer 222 has verified the identity and thenretrieves the reservation information associated with the identityinformation. Computer 222 compares the arrival date in the reservationwith the actual date and if a match occurs, the reservation has beenverified. If neither identity nor reservation is verified, control movesto 524. If both are verified, at 514, vendor computer 222 assigns anobject to the customer in accordance with the reservation and, at 516,conventionally sends the assignment to the appropriate MTSO 218 bydialing the mobile's phone number. In turn, at 518, the MTSO 218 sendsthe assignment to the wireless device per conventional means. Once thecustomer exists transition zone 204, the wireless device shouldreestablish communication with tower 216 and receive the assignment at520. If not, at 524, the customer completes the check-in process at thevendor's desk. If so, at 522, if the wireless device is enabled tofunction as a key or if a key is not required to open the object, thenthe process ends at 526 with the customer receiving the object. If themobile device is not enabled to function as a key and a key is requiredfor the object, then control moves to 524, where the customer must visitthe vendor's desk.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of transceiver 206 in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The process beginsat 602 where a determination is made as to whether an exit conditionexists. An exit condition may exist, for example, if transceiver 206 ispowered down. If an exit condition exists, the process ends. If an exitcondition does not exist, at 604, transceiver 206 transmits a ghost SIDon its forward control path and, at 606, monitors its reverse controlpath for identity information. If no information is received, controlreturns to 602. If transceiver 206 receives identity information from awireless device, at 608, it sends the identity information to vendorcomputer 222 and control returns to 602.

FIG. 7 a flowchart of the operation of wireless device 212 in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the present invention. At 702, wirelessdevice 212 determines if there is an exist condition, such as poweringdown the phone. If an exit condition exists, the process ends. If anexit condition does not exist, at 704, wireless device 212 determines ifit needs to re-scan for another channel either because it doesautomatically on a periodic basis or because the existing signalstrength has weakened. If not, controls returns to 702. If yes, at 706,wireless device 212 scans the available forward control paths todetermine if it can lock onto a stronger channel. If not, controlreturns to 702. If wireless device 212 can lock onto a stronger channel,it sends its identity information on the forward control path of thatchannel in an attempt to register itself with a local base station.Control returns to 702.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting a computer system 222 in which thepresent method and system may be implemented. A central processing unit(CPU) 10 connects to various other components by system bus 12. Anoperating system 41 runs on CPU 10, provides control and coordinates thefunctions of the various components. Operating system 41 may be one ofthe commercially available operating systems, such as Microsoft'sWindows, as well as UNIX, AIX, or LINUX operating systems. Applicationprograms 40, controlled by the system, are moved into and out of themain memory, RAM 14. These programs include programs of the preferredembodiment for transmitting information to and from both customercomputers (not shown) and transceiver 206, database applications forstoring and verifying customer reservation information and wirelessdevice identification, as well as programs for assigning objects tovarious customers upon successful verification.

A read only memory (ROM) 16 connects to CPU 10 via bus 12 and includesthe basic input/output system (BIOS) that controls the basic computerfunctions. RAM 14, I/O adapter 18, and communications adapter 34 arealso interconnected to system bus 12. I/O adapter 18 communicates withthe disk storage device 20, which may be used to store databaseinformation (e.g., database storage). Communications adapter 34interconnects bus 12 with an outside network enabling the dataprocessing system to communicate as respectively described above throughthe Web, Internet, or intranet. I/O devices also connect to system bus12 via user interface adapter 22 and display adapter 36. Keyboard 24 andmouse 26 connect to bus 12 through user interface adapter 22. It isthrough such input devices that the vendor may interactively receive orcontrol E-Mail messages or other information. Display adapter 36includes a frame buffer 39, which is a storage device that holds arepresentation of each pixel on monitor 38. Images may be stored inframe buffer 39 for display on monitor 38 through various components,such as a digital to analog converter (not shown) and the like. By usingthe aforementioned I/O devices, the vendor is capable of inputtinginformation to the system through keyboard 24 or mouse 26 and receivingoutput information from the system via display 38.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madeherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. In a cellular telecommunications network, a systemfor transmitting an assignment to a wireless device, comprising: acomputer for receiving a first identification of a first wireless deviceand a reservation associated with the first wireless device; atransition zone for creating an out of range condition on a secondwireless device; in response to creating the out of range condition, thecomputer for receiving a second identification of the second wirelessdevice from the second wireless device; the computer for comparing thefirst identification to the second identification and in response to amatch, verifying the reservation; and the computer for transmitting anassignment to the first wireless device in response to verifying thereservation.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer stores thereservation and the first identification of the first wireless device.12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second identificationsare telephone numbers.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein thetransition zone comprises: shielding and/or a signal jammer; and inresponse to the second wireless device entering the transition zone, theshielding and/or signal jammer causes the second wireless device torescan for a channel.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transitionzone further comprises: a transceiver for transmitting a channel in thetransition zone; the transceiver for receiving the second identificationof the second wireless device on the channel; and the transceiver fortransmitting the second identification to the computer.
 15. The systemof claim 10, wherein the computer further comprises: the computer forcomparing the first identification to the second identification and inresponse to a match, retrieving the reservation associated with thefirst wireless device; the computer for comparing an arrival date in thereservation with a current date and in response to a match, verifyingthe reservation; and in response to verifying the reservation, thecomputer for assigning an object to the first wireless device inaccordance with the reservation, thereby making the assignment.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the computer further comprises: the computercalling the first wireless device and leaving a text message of theassignment of the object or an audio message of the assignment of theobject.
 17. The system of claim 10, further comprising: the computertransmitting lock information to the first wireless device to enable thewireless device to function as a key.
 18. The system of claim 17,wherein the lock information is a code to a cipher lock. 19-20.(canceled)